Heathland birds

Hobby

The New Forest is a stronghold for hobbies in Hampshire, and the
heathlands and wet river valleys of southern England are where the
majority of hobbies occur. They are widespread but uncommon in most of
England and are mostly absent from Wales and Scotland.

Hobbies prefer to hunt over open, damp ground, especially in spring
because their favoured food at that time of year is dragonflies. They
are not common in the New Forest and you could see one almost anywhere
within or around the National Park. The damp heaths are the most regular
hunting ground for them.

Hobbies are summer visitors to the UK, arriving from Africa in May
and heading south again in September or October. They are very fast and
agile flyers - so much so that they can catch swallows and swifts in
flight.

There are no guaranteed places to see a hobby, but your best chance
would be to walk slowly around the damp heaths near Beaulieu Road
Station in the early evening in May or early June. Hobbies sometimes
gather here and several can be seen at the same time on occasions.

ID tip –Hobbies are a bird of prey that
look like a huge swift with long scythe-like wings and a fairly short
tail. They differ from kestrels in having a dark grey back and from
peregrines by having longer and more slender wings.